Returning Home
by OcelotKitten
Summary: After five years, Hermione returns to Hogwarts to fill the yet again vacant DAtDA position. WIP
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Hermione returns to Hogwarts after five years to fill the yet again vacant DAtDA position.  
  
Author's Notes: This is my first story with Hermione as the main character. I think I got her pretty much IC, but there may be a few OOC moments.  
  
Rating: PG-13. It may change to R later if I can get my nerve up. :)  
  
Disclaimer: These wonderful characters and this lovely world that I am so thoughtlessly borrowing belong to J. K. Rowling.  
  
Feedback: Flamers will be boiled in oil.  
  
/ /= emphasis  
  
__________  
  
Returning Home  
  
By OcelotKitten  
  
__________  
  
Hermione Granger sighed quietly as she looked up at the imposing edifice of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It had been five years since she had left the school after graduation, and not an inch of it had changed. Fingering the letter in her pocket for reassurance, she started up the path to the school. 'If someone had asked me after graduation if I would want to come back, 'she mused to herself, 'I would have been thrilled beyond belief. And now look at me! Terrified to be coming back to the one place that I most loved to be.'  
  
Although that wasn't entirely true, she reminded herself. If the circumstances were different, there would have been no problem. She was returning to Hogwarts not as a student, or even an alumnus, but as a professor. Faced once again with the perennially vacant Defense Against the Dark Arts position, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore had begged Hermione to take it, and Hermione suspected that the kindly Headmaster had asked her to simply because he knew she wouldn't say no to him.  
  
The vast majority of the wizarding community regarded the job to be jinxed. Since Hermione's first year, none of the teachers had lasted longer than a year. It had been a long string of Death Eaters, a werewolf, an insipid twit who ended up losing his memory, and filled out by a pathetic bunch of idiots (at least in Hermione's opinion). It had been getting harder and harder to find worthy wizards and witches to fill the position.  
  
She reached the entry doors, and they swung open at a slight touch.  
  
Waiting for her in the entrance hall, she found Dumbledore, and the rest of the teachers. "Welcome, Hermione," the Headmaster said with a grin and a twinkle in his eye, "It is good to have you back." Pushing down vaguely mutinous feelings toward the old man, ('After all, you /did/ accept the job,' Hermione reminded herself), she shook Dumbledore's hand. The headmaster's sentiment was seconded by most of the assembled faculty, with one notable, but not entirely unexpected exception.  
  
Whereas all of the other teachers were beaming, Professor Severus Snape wore the same forbidding expression that he always did. 'Small surprise there,' Hermione thought sourly, 'I'd probably die of shock if that man was happy to see me.' Still, his implied rejection of her even though they were now equals stung more than Hermione would have admitted, even to herself.  
  
"If you would come with me, Hermione?" Dumbledore said, "We will go to my office, and fill out your paperwork." Hermione nodded and, with one last round of congratulations from the teachers (again excluding Snape), followed Dumbledore. The hallways were conspicuously empty, and Hermione remarked on it to Dumbledore. He chuckled, "Have you really been away so long, Hermione? The students are not here. The school year has not started yet."  
  
Hermione nearly stopped dead at her own stupidity. Of course, the halls were empty! Students didn't arrive until September first, and it was as yet only the middle of August. It was simply strange for her since she had never been at the school during summer before. With a sheepish, "Oh", she resumed the walk down the corridor. On the way to the office, they chatted, and Hermione filled the Headmaster in on what all her old classmates had been doing since they had graduated.  
  
Ron had gone into curse-breaking like his brother Bill, and worked at Gringotts. Harry had gone to work for the Ministry, and was an apprentice Auror. He had also married Ginny Weasley, and they were quite happy. At the entrance to the Headmaster's office, a stone gargoyle blocked their way, but it moved out of the way at the password (Sugar Quills).  
  
Leading Hermione up the moving staircase, Dumbledore said, "I want to say again, Hermione, how glad I am that you agreed to take the Defense Against the Dark Arts job. I must say that it has become more and more difficult to fill it as time goes on."  
  
"Was it really so hard that you picked me out of desperation, or did you know I wouldn't say no?" Hermione said with a smile.  
  
"I confess that it was a little of both," Dumbledore said with an answering smile as they reached the door, and he ushered her in. Hermione sat in one of the over-stuffed chairs before the desk. Fawkes, Dumbledore's pet phoenix, fluttered over, and began singing cheerily at her.  
  
With a smile, Hermione stroked the bird's head. The phoenix shook his magnificent, fiery plumage in pleasure, and increased his singing. Dumbledore seated himself behind the desk, and took a sheaf of papers out of a drawer. Handing the papers and a quill over to Hermione, he said, "If you could fill these out? Then we can see about getting you settled in." As she took the papers, Hermione said, "It was nice to see that so many of the other teachers were glad to see me." Dumbledore said nothing, perhaps sensing that a "but" was imminent. Hermione continued, ". . . but, Professor Snape didn't seem too happy that I was back."  
  
"Are you really all that surprised, Hermione?" Dumbledore said with a smile.  
  
"Well, no, I suppose not," she conceded, "but I did hope that since I'm no longer a student, he would at least see me as an equal. But he seems to see me the same way he always did."  
  
"Severus might surprise you, Hermione," Dumbledore said gently, "You should talk to him."  
  
__________  
  
AN: I hope the first chapter met with everyone's expectations. I'm having a great deal of fun with this story. 


	2. Chapter 2

__________  
  
Returning Home  
  
By OcelotKitten  
  
__________  
  
**/ /=emphasis**  
  
The clapping rose to deafening levels and then finally died away. The last of the first years timidly made his way to his seat, and Professor McGonagall called for order. Dumbledore stood, and cleared his throat, "I would like to welcome you all to another year here at Hogwarts. I have several announcements to make. First of all, I would like to introduce the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Hermione Granger."  
  
Hermione stood and bowed amidst congratulatory clapping, but it was sparse, and somewhat desultory. Dumbledore ran through the usual list of announcements: Dark forest off limits, no students out after curfew, and Hermione listened to him with only half an ear.  
  
The past few weeks had flown by, and Hermione had readapted to life at the castle much more easily than she had expected to. 'It's as though I had never left,' she thought with a smile, 'Except for that whole teacher thing.' Only one thing was still not resolved to her satisfaction. Hermione glanced surreptitiously sideways, and watched Snape out of the corner of her eye. He was sitting two spaces down from her, and looked singularly bored.  
  
In the weeks since she had arrived at the school, it seemed as if Snape had not made a single attempt to even be cordial. Indeed, he had remained tacit, never volunteering a conversation, and only grudgingly participating in one if pressed. Hermione wondered if anyone had ever managed to make Snape be cordial. A small smile tugged at her mouth, she rather doubted it. Abruptly, she made her decision. She would tame the formidable Potions Master. Never one to back down from a challenge (especially her own) Hermione began making plans.  
  
__________  
  
After the feast, Hermione left the Great Hall, hurrying to catch up with Snape. He was almost to the dungeons, and took no notice of Hermione until she laid a hand on his shoulder. With a sigh that spoke volumes about fervent wishing to be elsewhere, he turned to her, "What is it, Miss Granger?"  
  
"Could you call me Hermione, Professor? Colleagues should after all be on a first name basis," she said slyly. He regarded her with quickly muted surprise, then an expression of scorn, "I ask again, /Miss/ Granger, what do you want?"  
  
"Oh, nothing. I was just wondering if I could have the pleasure of your company for a cup of tea?"  
  
He looked amusingly flabbergasted for a brief moment, but then the scornful mask fell back into place. Snape said coldly, "I have work to do, Miss Granger. Perhaps some other time." His tone assured her that there would be another time only after a snowball had a chance in Hell. With that, he turned with an elegant swish of his robes, and disappeared into the dungeons.  
  
Hermione snickered to herself. She had known that the thing about the first names would get to him. It was common knowledge that Snape was a very private man, and Hermione had guessed that to have a student, even a former one, call him by his first name would rankle. She had also known that he would react the way he did to the offer of a cup of tea. It was simply part of the larger plan. Feeling well pleased, she went to her chambers  
  
__________  
  
The bell rang and the students left the room in a chattering horde. Hermione flopped down in her desk chair, and rubbed her temples with a sigh. The headache had set in just after the start of first period, and was still going strong now, at lunchtime. She jumped as there was a chuckle from the doorway, she glanced up and saw Dumbledore watching her. "Sorry, my dear," he said, coming into the room, "I came by to see how you were doing."  
  
"Terrible," Hermione said miserably, "I was so nervous I could hardly teach." She buried her head in her hands. Dumbledore smiled and came in. He laid a hand gently on her shoulder, and Hermione glanced up. "Hermione, do you really think everyone does everything right on the first day?" he said with a twinkle in his eye, "Besides, I happen to have heard from a very reliable source that your students loved your classes, and can't wait for the next one."  
  
Hermione grinned, "Really? Do you mean it?" Dumbledore just smiled. He said, "How are you settling in?"  
  
"It's like I never left, Prof . . . sorry, Albus," Hermione said sheepishly, "I can't get used to that yet."  
  
"Don't worry about it, Hermione," Dumbledore said with another smile, "It took Severus ages to get used to calling me by my first name. He still doesn't like it. Which reminds me," the Headmaster said with a twinkle in his eye, "How are you and he getting along?"  
  
Hermione's eyes narrowed, "Honestly, Albus. If nothing else, the way he's been treating me would make me feel that I had never left." Hermione said nothing about her plan to wear down Snape's defenses. She didn't feel entirely comfortable with telling Dumbledore.  
  
"I think that you just need to give him time, child. Severus is a very complicated individual," Dumbledore said with a smile. He held out his arm to her, "I believe that it is lunchtime. Would you like an escort?" Hermione giggled, "Why, sir! I'd be delighted!" She took his arm and they proceeded to the Great Hall. 


End file.
